Jesus

Tag: Jesus

It was a night like any other night. Skies were clear, and the soft breeze cooled those sleeping under the stars. Under the same stars there were all kinds of people. Fathers and daughters. Noblemen and peasants. Believers and doubters. Young and old. It could have been any other night, except, it was the night that would change all nights.

According to Luke, an announcement was delivered – perhaps through a vision or perhaps through an apparition – to a group of shepherds watching over their sheep by night.

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” – Luke 2:10 esv

For all the people.

Before announcing the arrival of the Messiah – Jesus Christ the promised savior of Israel – the messenger made sure to let them know who the news was for.

Why shepherds though?

The angel had people who were more educated and more acquainted with messianic prophecies at his disposal. People who were more educated, and had much greater credibility and religious authority.

There were pharisees, scribes, priests, and people in government. Yet, this announcement of good news came to shepherds.

Shepherds.

It was hard to be a shepherd. Shepherding was a 24-hour job. A shepherd would, during the day, take his flock to pasture, care and guide his flock, and tend to the flocks health. At night, the shepherd had to be on high alert against predators and robbers.

Can you imagine the pressure? The stress? The constant list of things to do?

A lot of work that went unnoticed and unappreciated.

A lot of work.

Can you relate? I think you can.

If you’ve ever gone to bed wishing you had more hours in the day, or if you’ve ever hoped you could add a couple days between Thursday and Friday because of all the things you had to do by the end of the week, you can relate.

Sometimes, it is hard to pause to believe; to allow ourselves to be interrupted so we can be reminded of promises and dreams we once lived for.

Have you ever heard someone encourage you, or say something that is so far from your present reality, you thought: “That is all wishful thinking. Nothing more.”

I would agree with you, except for the fact that the angel came to shepherds. People exactly like you, who had no time for interruptions. People who had forgotten the promise. Regular, seemingly insignificant shepherds. Shepherds on a field, while they watched their flock.

The promised Messiah had become wishful thinking, at best. Until a bright light shone across the sky of that ordinary night, and turned that ordinary night into the single most celebrated night in history.

When you feel tempted to feel down, to doubt, and to give up hope. When you get discouraged, because what you’ve been hoping for is taking too long to come true. When you feel like giving up, remember: He came to shepherds. The Good News is for you. Salvation is for you. Joy is for you. Peace is for you. The promise is yours.

He came to shepherds.

He came for you.

-JD.

Join Us This Sunday!

Let’s end the year and give thanks together.
10:30am at Rippowam Middle School Auditorium.

I have to be honest; trust is a difficult thing for me. I would much rather have full control of what is happening, or going to happen, in my life, rather than trusting that God is in control. I like to “know” exactly what is coming, and I like to determine the steps being taken. I like plans. I like lists.

The thing about trust is that you never fully arrive. You may easily trust God in some areas, but then in other areas you may have a hard time letting go.

For me, I found it much easier to trust that God was going to see us through last year with the birth of our twin baby girls. When the doctors were delivering all these negative statistics, we had an immense amount of trust that God was in control. Yet, these past two months have been immensely difficult finding the same intensity of trust; as it relates to moving and finding a new home. I suppose the previous situation was more than we could handle ourselves, therefore trusting was the ONLY option.

If there is one thing I have learned this year, it is that God often leaves out the blueprints. He speaks the language of trust, or maybe a more appropriate word would be faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

I find this to be a theme actually, of my life, and of many people’s lives.

With Abraham, God made a promise (Genesis 17) … BUT he did not say how or when.

With David, God crowned him king (1 Samuel 16) … BUT he did not specify when or how.

With Peter he gave him the charge to build the church (Matthew 16:18) … BUT he did not specify how, when or with what funds.

With us? Well, we have been given the charge to expand his Kingdom in the Northeast… BUT like many others, we have no detailed plan.

Much of 2014 and 2015 have been about trust and faith that God will see us through. I am constantly reminded of the passage in Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

But here is the secret … Hebrews 12:2 says, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” God is the author and finisher of our faith. The real lesson for me has been fixing my eyes on Him (the author) and not on how much longer I have to hang on to “faith”. You see, God doesn’t ask us to blindly trust, he asks us to look at Jesus. Fixing our eyes on Jesus changes things. It makes us more aware of the possibilities. It magnifies the opportunities and diminishes the limitations. It produces courage and compassion. It changes us.

So here is my encouragement today, fix your eyes on Jesus. Look at him and only him. Allow Jesus to produce in you what is needed for this season in your life. Trust is a journey and we are on this journey together.